You could try a traditional barn paint, such as milk paint. I've used Original Milk Paint before and it looks great! Not sure if can be used on an exterior, but it will certainly give you that color!

Carpet has come under fire because of the allergy/asthma reactions. Carpet can hold dozens of pounds of human skin/dust/mites in it. It can never be fully cleaned nor can the dust be completely removed. Because of this, many people are looking for solid flooring options which reduce allergens, reduce asthmatic events, are easier to clean and last longer. High end carpet (the stuff that is worth more than hardwood) still has its place in high end homes - often times in luxury bedrooms/luxury appartments (noise issues have to be taken into consideration) but on the whole, the general public is shying away from wall-to-wall carpets. Cork flooring is seeing a huge increase in sales because it "takes over" for carpet. Soft, quiet, warm, easy to clean, hypo-allergenic, antimicrobial, instect resistant. It is the "go-between" type of flooring for people used to carpet who need to move to solid surfaces for their health. As Canadians, we love this flooring because it is so warm.

Absolutely no problem changing up the carpet. Things to watch for......make the transition in a doorway, an opening or along a visual break in the rooms (like the corners of the walls). I would stay in the same colour range, but just go to the other end of the spectrum rather than change the colour completely.....like light grey going to dark grey, not light grey going to navy blue. You want the separation but an easy transition on the eyes.

Also take a look at Room and Board....they have several tables with different wood finishes or wood/steel/metal bases and a good selection of various tabletop materials. Also if you prefer a wood table, an area rug underneath the table could also help to break up all of the wood too.